The Emancipation Proclamation

Why Was There a War? Lincoln began the war in order to keep the Union together. The stated purpose of the war from the North’s perspective was to save the Union.

New States: Free or Slave States? The states that had seceded were afraid that slavery would be abolished if the balance of power was tipped against them.

“I have no purpose, directly or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery where it exists.” At the start of the war, Lincoln tried to assure the South he would not abolish slavery.

When Did Freeing Slaves Become a Focus of the War? The Confederacy was hoping that France and Great Britain would help them in the war.

But, Lincoln realized if the war were about slavery and not just states’ rights, then European countries, which were opposed to slavery, would not side with the Confederacy.

He was also receiving pressure from abolitionists and others from his political party to make freeing the slaves the goal of the war.

Timing is Everything Lincoln wanted to wait for a Union victory before tying the war effort to emancipation. He felt that he needed to make this kind of announcement from a position of strength. Though the Battle of Antietam was not a resounding, clear victory for the North, the battle did force the Confederacy to retreat and cost Confederate General Robert E. Lee about a fourth of his army in casualties. The time, Lincoln felt, was right.

Battle of Antietam September 17, 1862

After the Battle, a Warning Lincoln warned the “states in rebellion” that if they did not rejoin the Union, he would free their slaves as of January 1, 1863. This posed a problem, because the Constitution did not prohibit slavery, though states could outlaw it.

Lincoln had heard of Union officers refusing to return slaves to the South after they had run away to the Union side, reasoning that if slaves were “property” then they could be taken as war spoils and be considered “contraband.” He adopted this idea. The Emancipation Proclamation stated that any of this “property” would be freed if U.S. military forces captured them. It did not free slaves in the states that were not in rebellion.

Now read the entire Emancipation Proclamation closely, and when you’re done, return to this presentation.

As you’ve just read, the enlistment of African Americans in the armed forces was discussed here: “…such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.”

African-American Soldiers comprised about 10 percent of the Union Army. By the end of the war, approximately 180,000 had joined the fight.

Of their service to the nation Frederick Douglass said, "Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letters U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pockets, and there is no power on earth which can deny that he has earned the right of citizenship in the United States."

In addition to the problems of war faced by all soldiers, African-American soldiers faced additional difficulties created by racial prejudice. Although many served in the infantry and artillery, discriminatory practices resulted in large numbers of African-American soldiers being assigned to perform non-combat, support duties as cooks, laborers, and teamsters. African-American soldiers were paid $10 per month, from which $3 was deducted for clothing. White soldiers were paid $13 per month, from which no clothing allowance was deducted. If captured by the Confederate Army, African-American soldiers confronted a much greater threat than did their white counterparts.

Things to Remember The Battle of Antietam was both the bloodiest battle and an important point in the war. Because of the Union’s relative success there, Lincoln warned the “states in rebellion” to rejoin the Union or else their slaves would be freed. Great Britain and France did not join the war on the Confederate side. After the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect, with African Americans fighting on their side, the Union had an advantage over the Confederacy.